Yield of Photoperiod-sensitive Sorghum Hybrids Based on Guinea-race Germplasm under Farmers’ Field Conditions in MaliH F WRattundeauthorEWeltzienauthorBDialloauthorA GDialloauthorMSidibeauthorA OToureauthorARathoreauthorR RDasauthorW LLeiserauthorAToureauthorThe first sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] hybrids based on West African Guinea-race-derived parents were created to enhance farmer’s food security and income through increased yields. To assess their performance, eight hybrids, six experimental pure-line cultivars, one pure-line check (Lata), and a highly adapted landrace cultivar (Tieble) were evaluated in 27 farmer-managed and two on-station yield trials in Mali, West Africa, from 2009 to 2011. The hybrids were confirmed to have photoperiod sensitivity similar to the well-adapted Guinea landrace check cultivar. Genotypic differences for on-farm grain yield were highly significant and genotype × environment crossover interactions were limited. The yield superiorities of individual hybrids, relative to the landrace check, ranged from 17 to 37% over the 27 on-farm trials. The three top yielding hybrids showed 30% yield advantages across productivity levels, with absolute yield advantages averaging 380 kg ha−1 under lower (1.0–1.5 t ha−1) and 660 kg ha−1 under higher (2.0–3.5 t ha−1) productivity conditions. A mean male-parent (better parent) heterosis of 26% was observed for the four hybrids having Lata as a male parent. As the hybrids studied here were obtained with a low intensity of selection using a limited number of parents, even greater yield superiorities may be attained with development of distinct parental pools and scaled-up hybrid breeding.SorghumGenetics and Genomics2013Crop Science Society of AmericaArticle